Kidnapping Castle
by FFextraordinary01
Summary: Castle is in trouble, will Beckett be able to come to his rescue? A vulnerable yet determined Castle, a frantic Beckett and a ruthless man. AU, early season 4, before cops and robbers
1. Chapter 1

Title: Kidnapping Castle

Pairing: R. Castle and K. Beckett

Summary: Castle has made enemies during his life, some more dangerous than the rest. This one in particular won't stop no matter what until he gets what he wants, but can Castle give him what he wants and even if he can, will he?

Disclaimer: I don't own Castle

Words: 1 041

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Chapter One:

Richard Castle could be called many things, some of which were a doting father, an ex-playboy, a writer, even a consultant. But at this exact moment, the only word that could be used to label him was that of victim.

For you see, Richard Castle had been kidnapped.

Most kidnappers wanted something from either the victim or the victims loved ones. Richard Castle was a rich man, having over two dozen best sellers to his name had made him very wealthy, but it wasn't money that these people were after. It was something else entirely, they wanted information.

Information that he didn't have and that that he did have, he wouldn't willingly share. They wanted information about Beckett.

More specifically about her search into the murder of her late mother, Montgomery's files and just who it was that was bargaining to keep her safe from the wrath of the hideous villain who had started it all.

He only knew bits and pieces of the story, some of it was still a complete mystery, like the caller who phoned to warn him about keeping Beckett away from the case. Or just what exactly those incriminating files had on the villain.

But he did know a few things, things that he wouldn't willingly share with these people. For if he did, they could easily finish their overall task of eliminating one Katherine Beckett from the game completely.

Love was a powerful thing, it had inspired people to do things that were irrational, Shakespeare had even written about it. The overwhelming catastrophe that was Romeo and Juliet, but as the metal pipe crashed down on his right shoulder and Castle bit back the scream of pain, he couldn't help but to think that Romeo and Juliet's ill-fated love had nothing on his loyalty to Kate Beckett.

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A Day Ago:

RC POV:

_It was already late or early depending on how one looked at it, as I made my way to the door of the Old Haunt; someone was banging on it even though the pub was closed for the night. It was after three in the morning after all._

_Everyone had already left, patrons and employees alike, yet I remained at the pub attempting to hammer out a chapter that was long past due. Gina had been calling every few hours to ask about it, well demanding and threatening me about it really._

_Inspiration was somewhat scarce these days, things with Beckett were at a standstill and although I was still shadowing her nothing was inspiring any new stories for me. But Gina didn't care about inspiration, she just wanted chapters. And if I wanted to get her off my back, I would have to give her what she wanted; I could only avoid her for so long after all._

_With a huff of annoyance, I opened the door, forcing the lock open sharply; I was irritated with whoever it was on the other side. The door was firmly closed and locked, the lights were off, how could they even think that it was open was beyond me. I intended to give them a bit of a telling off._

_Gina had put me in a bad mood with her latest phone call which was only twenty minutes ago, ripping the door open, I glared at the man before me. He was tall, with short dark hair and a solid build to him. Immediately I felt ill at ease, something just didn't seem right._

_There was something about this guy that sent a chill up my spine, and it didn't take long before I found out exactly why that was. The smile he favoured me with was cruel, twisted and dark, that was the only warning I had. _

_His hands shot out to my chest, taking a hold of my shirt before tossing me back carelessly. Not having expected something like this to happen, I stumbled back gracelessly, tripping down the few stairs to land up sprawled out on the floor. _

_I shook my head trying to dispel the daze that was descending on my mind as I struggled to push myself up; the impact had been hard on my body. But I wasn't about to go out without some sort of fight._

_He walked calmly towards me, his hands cladded in black leather gloves, an injection dangling from his right hand. It motivated and gave me the strength I needed to stumble up to my feet. Swinging at him, he ducked my blow with ease. _

_More and more, I found myself not liking this situation. _

_I wasn't the type of person to give up on anything, and I wasn't about to just quit whatever it was that this situation was. The blows that I threw were either ducked or blocked; I couldn't seem to land a punch on this guy. And I was running out of space as he advanced on me while I kept stepping back._

_Finally I landed a blow, one right to the jaw. My victory was short lived through; he slowly turned to face me, shaking off the blow as if though it was nothing. It was his eyes that immediately told me something had just changed._

_Before they had been dead, nothing showing in them, just dark and beady. But now, there was a controlled fury to them. _

_His leg snapped up fast and unrelenting, the strength of the kick took me by complete surprise, forcing me to my knees at it landed on my side. What followed was nothing but a one way beating._

_The punches that I landed seemed to do no damage, just causing a small cut on the corner of his mouth and some redness to the area around his eye. Yet my blood flowed freely as his clenched hands met my face, as I slumped down to the ground out of energy and strength to carry on fighting the injection materialised in his hand yet again._

_My struggles against his grasp were pathetic as he forced the needle to pierce the skin of my neck. I didn't know what it was but the effects were immediate. Everything started to swirl about and blackness encroached upon my vision until finally it was the last thing that I saw._

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AN: This will be a multi-chapter story with different POV's; I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. Let me know what you think if you have a moment, feedback is always appreciated.

Happy reading!


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Kidnapping Castle

Pairing: R. Castle and K. Beckett

Summary: So Castle is being held for information, will he break? And has it been found out yet that he was abducted?

Disclaimer: I don't own Castle

Words: 1 217

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Chapter Two:

KB POV:

The moment that I saw Alexis standing at my desk I knew that something was wrong, the girl looked pale and worried, her eyes were even red. I wondered if it had something to do with Castle's absence, I had tried calling him several times already as we had caught a case this morning but he just hadn't answered.

It wasn't like him to ignore my calls, but I had written it off as nothing to worry about. But the look on the young redhead told a different story, something was wrong.

"Alexis what are you doing here?" I asked quietly, walking over to her.

I didn't want to startle the girl; lately she hasn't been very fond of me. Bettering her view of me would be nice, but there was hardly ever the opportunity to do such. Castle invited me over to the loft many times, and the rare occasions that I did accept the invite little Castle kept her distance.

"My dad didn't come home last night." She said quietly, tears forming in her eyes while she spoke.

It felt as if though I wanted to shed a tear of my own, there could be many reasons for why Castle hadn't gone home the night before but only one was taking root in my mind. He had spent the night with someone, a female someone. My insecurities ate at me relentlessly but I shoved them down as quickly as I could.

Now wasn't the time to dwell on such thoughts, Alexis needed comfort or something. And the task was falling to me to do so; after all it had all but landed in my lap.

"Maybe his just staying with a friend?" I offered trying to not sound bitter.

"That's not it." Alexis promptly dismissed shaking her head. "He was writing at the Old Haunt last night, when I called at around eleven to say good night he was still there working on the latest chapter. But this morning, he didn't answer his cell or anything."

"Maybe the battery just died?" I offered weakly shrugging my shoulders, trying not to think about more possibilities; none of them were remotely comforting.

"I just know something is wrong." Alexis insisted.

It seemed that little Castle could be just as stubborn as her father, before I could say anything though we were interrupted by an out of breath Ryan. He skidded to a halt before me, not even seeming to notice Alexis as he opened up his mouth.

"Something's happened, a call just came in." Ryan panted looking on the verge of tears or in need of throwing up. "Castle's day time bartender just called, reporting that the place is trashed and that the doors were left open."

I stared at him, hearing his words but not comprehending just what it was he was saying. Something had happened, something bad had happened to Castle. He could be anywhere, he could be hurt or in danger, or just… I shook my head forcefully; day dreaming about it wasn't going to help anyone.

It wasn't going to help me.

It wasn't going to help Alexis.

But most of all, it wasn't going to help Castle.

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It was official, something was indeed wrong. The Old Haunt had been trashed, Castle's office downstairs was turned upside down, and his phone and laptop were missing. I immediately called in for a trace on his phone, hoping that we would get lucky and be able to locate him immediately. But I had a sinking feeling in my stomach that it wasn't going to work.

And there was blood.

It was relatively little but still, there was a small pool of blood just inside the entrance to the pub.

I could feel the room closing in on me, it was suffocating, and everyone was giving me looks of pity and concern. I didn't need their pity or their concern; the only thing that mattered was finding Castle.

He had to be found.

After looking over the scene and taking everything in, I left the pub heading back to the 12th from there I could do something. I couldn't think at the pub, all I could do was stare at the pool of blood. My mind conjuring images of an injured Castle as I done so.

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A missing persons form had been filed, Castle was officially missing. The fresh homicide that had come across my desk didn't matter, nothing mattered anymore but finding him. Getting him back safely, alive.

Gates was shutting me out though, I wasn't to work the case, nor were the boys. But I couldn't just sit around; I couldn't depend on someone else to solve this. He had to be found and he had to be found immediately.

A lot of abductions didn't end happily; Castle wasn't going to become one of those negative and terrifying statistics. Not if I could help it. Yet my hands were tied, Gates was watching my every move, I wouldn't be able to do anything from here. If I was going to work this, I needed a different work space.

Away from Gates and her watchful eyes.

"Sir?" I called out, standing at the threshold of her office.

This was the only way I would be able to get away from her; I just hope that she went for it, that she wasn't as cruel and heartless as she acted.

"Yes Detective?" She asked impassively, her face revealing nothing.

"I would like to request a week's leave." I replied immediately, no beating around the bush.

Time was of the essence, I had already wasted enough here. I had to get started on this, I had to find Castle, I needed to find him.

"Really now?" She asked, sitting back in her chair and eyeing me through narrow eyes.

"Yes, sir." I ground out, trying not to snap at her.

This had to work.

It just had to.

"Alright then Beckett, but I'm warning you to not get involved with this case." She threatened a steely note of warning in her voice.

With Castle's life hanging in the balance her threat meant nothing to me, the only thing that mattered to me right now was finding him. Not my job, his life was far more important than a simple shield. She could threaten me all she wanted, it meant nothing.

I didn't bother to reply; simply nodding I dashed out of the office. Grabbing my stuff from my desk that I had already packed, including a copy of the files that was about Castle, I all but ran towards the elevator.

Martha and Alexis needed Castle; he had to be returned safely to them. They would never be able to get over the loss of him, but they weren't the only ones that would be affected if something were to happen to him. Even now, all the cops around the 12th that had ever interacted with Castle were being impacted.

Many saw him as one of us, those that didn't even like him wanted to get him back, were furious at the outrage of him being abducted. Whoever was behind this was going to pay.

And if I got to them first, I was going to put a bullet right between their eyes.

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AN: And that's it for this chapter, are you guys liking it so far? More to come soon!


	3. Chapter 3

Title: Kidnapping Castle

Pairing: R. Castle and K. Beckett

Summary: Beckett has taken a week's leave in order to work Castle's case away from Gates, but what exactly is happening to Castle?

Disclaimer: I don't own Castle

Words: 1 452

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Chapter Three

Day 1, 6 hours after being taken.

RC POV:

My body ached, my face was stinging in several places no doubt bruised or cut and there was also an unbearable pounding in my head. Similar to what I would have once gotten when experiencing a major hang-over, but I didn't get major hang overs anymore, my days of extreme partying were well and truly behind me.

I struggle to open my eyes, and when they were finally opened all I was met with was pitch black darkness. It was in that instant as my eyes darted wildly around the room that I recalled what had happened. That I remembered the man that had attacked me at the Old Haunt and no doubt drugged me with something, whatever it was that he had used on me was causing a serious headache.

It was too dark to see anything; I couldn't tell if there was someone else in the room with me or not, or even what shape the room was, if there was furniture or even where the door was. I couldn't see anything; it was disconcerting and causing panic to rise up within me. I distractedly hoped that I would be able to push aside my feelings of rising panic.

Looking down at my body, I realized for the first time that I was sitting in a metal chair. Well, more like bound than sitting really, I was cuffed to the chair. Each of my wrists was adorned with shiny metallic cuffs that held them tightly to the arms of the chair. Cuffs that looked remarkably like Beckett's, police issued cuffs, not something that one can just break out of.

Not only were my arms bound but my legs too in the exact same way, there was no getting out of them.

As I tugged and pulled, trying to find some sort of weakness in this set up, I noticed that not even the chair moved. No matter how hard I rocked or bumped against it, it didn't budge which could only mean that it was bolted down onto the floor.

My breath hitched at the realization, there was no way of getting out of here, of escaping my bonds and the chair.

Of escaping this room and my mysterious abductor.

I strain my eyes and ears as I tied to see and hear something, anything, but there was nothing. Just darkness and the sound of my own breathing, whoever the man was, he wasn't in the room with me. I didn't know if it was a good thing or not.

Taking stock of myself, I easily managed to ignore the aches I was feeling as well as the stinging in my face that no doubt was the result of cuts from my fight with the man. But my watch was gone, I had no way of knowing how long it had been since this had all started, my phone wasn't in my pocket nor was my wallet.

I had the urge to fidget, to shake at the bonds that held me in place, to struggle as hard as I could. But it would do no good, so instead; I took a deep breath and focused on staying aware.

Trying not to panic was hard, I wanted to scream and yell but chances were that the person who was responsible for my situation in the first place would be the one to hear me.

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KB POV:

Even though Gates had said that I wasn't working the case and I was officially on leave everything that they had was being shared with me, emails and calls were streaming in. I was being kept in the loop behind the captains back.

Gates would not be pleased if she were to ever find out.

So far a time line had been established; they had pulled Castle's phone records and found that the last call had been from his second ex-wife, Gina, at just before three in the morning. The trace on the phone was all but a bust, at 3:34 am it had moved two blocks before being thrown into an alley.

It was enough to tell us which direction they were going, camera footage had been pulled and so far the vehicle used to transport Castle was a stolen van. All in all there were a few leads; things to investigate that could hopefully turn up the identity of the abductor.

I stared at my make shift board, usually the boards I stared at were murder boards, those were the victim was already dead. I prayed with all my might for Castle to still be alive and well and for him to stay that way.

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DAY 1, 9 hours after being taken.

RC POV:

There was some sort of grinding sound coming from the somewhere in the dark room, it was faint and all to brief. However it was shortly followed up by another sound, one that I didn't have to try and figure out…

Steps.

They were faint, dull echoing's, but after the silence I had endured it felt as if though they were all but deafeningly loud. They were slowly approaching me; there was no haste to them. Slow and sure steps.

I stared into the darkness that surrounded me, trying to see the person that was approaching but I couldn't. It was too dark, and then it wasn't.

I flinched into the chair, my eyes slamming shut as I tried to block out the suddenly blinding light. After spending so much time in the dark the bright light was painful on my eyes. I forced my eyes open, trying to see as much as I could. But I had to narrow my eyes; I was bathed in a small pool of light.

Still, I couldn't see anything of importance. The chair I was bound to was metal and the floor was a smooth concrete. My shadow was swallowed in darkness several feet away from me, the darkness that was not deterred by the light in the slightest.

I couldn't see the walls, the roof, a door, nothing.

"Richard Castle." A voice spoke, it was masculine.

Maybe it was the same man from before, the one who had attacked me at the Old Haunt.

I stayed quiet as I stared ahead, trying to see past the bright light, trying to see who it was that was talking. But all I saw was the faint outline of a shadow.

"I have some questions, and if you answer them satisfactory, I shall let you live." The disembodied voice said, his voice was sinister.

It sent chills up my spine, remembering the dark eyes of the man who had attacked me at the pub I just knew that it was him. I didn't believe his words for a second, he no doubt had questions and expected answers from me, but I knew that as soon as I gave him the answers that he needed he wouldn't keep his word.

He would kill me.

I remained quiet, normally it was a challenge to get me to shut my mouth, and now it was going to have to be the other way around.

My life depended on it and I was far from ready to die.

"Who does Detective Beckett suspect of killing her mother?" He asked, not caring about a reply it would seem.

I clenched my jaw to hold in the gasp of surprise that wanted to escape me upon hearing his question. Beckett… This was about Kate. I had been determined to keep my mouth shut before to make sure that I stayed alive as long as possible, now though, well I would rather bite my own tongue off before I gave him anything.

I could still remember the day that Beckett was shot. Watching on helplessly as she was busy dying in my arms with a bullet lodged in her chest, the light leaving her eyes as her blood stained the green grass around us. I could never forget it. I would never forget it, and I would do everything that I could to keep her safe no matter the situation.

I was in love with her, madly and foolishly in love. Protecting her was always something that I would try to do. This was no different to me, even if I had to sacrifice my own life for her safety, I would do it. I would do whatever was needed to keep her safe no matter the price.

If he wanted answers about Beckett, he had picked the wrong person to abduct. I just hoped that I would be able to stay alive long enough to be found.

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AN: A brave and determined Castle, but can his resolve be shattered? Let me know what you think of the story so far if you have a spare moment. There will be different POV's and in the next chapter we will see how Martha and Alexis are doing. Beckett is still investigating and Castle isn't about to go anywhere anytime soon.


	4. Chapter 4

Title: Kidnapping Castle

Pairing: R. Castle and K. Beckett

Summary: I promised that we would be checking in on Alexis and Martha, so that will happen in this chapter. Also, has Beckett managed to find anything that could lead to her rescuing Castle and just what is happening on Castle's end?

Disclaimer: I don't own Castle

Words: 1 732

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Chapter Four:

Day One, 9 hours after being taken

RC POV:

"Are you not going to answer my question Mr Castle?" The voice asked calmly, but there was a quality to it that made me even more ill at ease.

I had managed to not utter one word since he had arrived; it seemed as if though hours had tickled by since he had asked his first question. But even though it had felt like hours it was probably only minutes.

"Cat's got your tongue, I see." He said calmly after a moment's pause he carried on talking. "Maybe I can help you with that."

I was certain that his brand of help was not the type that I would find to be enjoyable, in the least.

I stared straight ahead as he walked towards me, his pace was slow and unhurried, he was in control of this situation and he knew it. He came to a stop before me, towering over me now, his left hand shot out taking a hold of my short hair and tilting my head back harshly.

I had no choice but to look at him this way, I met his gaze head on. His eyes were dark, that some dead quality to them as I had seen earlier when I first laid eyes on him. I clenched my jaw even tighter, refusing to make any sort of sound.

His right fist slammed into my chest, the force behind it made me want to bow over in pain, but his grip on me was unrelenting. I swallowed back the groan that wanted to escape.

I was determined to not let a single sound pass my lips no matter what.

His eyes were boring into mine, there was no flicker of emotion behind them, and violence didn't seem to bother him in the slightest. Not looking away for a second from his eyes, I took the next blow to the stomach without even flinching.

It was hard to keep my poker face in place but showing weakness wasn't an option. The thought of Kate being in danger made it easier though.

"Remember Mr Castle that it was I who was willing to do it the easy way." He said quietly before straightening up, snapping my head back roughly as he let go of me.

I watched as he walked away, he would be back of that I was certain. But he was wrong, this was the easy way for me, I would never be able to live with myself for even a second if I placed Kate deliberately in harm's way.

A faint grinding sound reached my ears, it sounded like metal on metal, rough and scratchy. Bowing my head, I strained hard to hear more but I was met with silence.

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Day One, 9 ½ hours after being taken:

AC POV: (Alexis Castle)

Police officers were streaming in and out the loft; they had set up a small working area in the kitchen, a base of operations. I had been standing on the side lines, out of their way, as I watched them set everything up. But I hadn't been able to stand it any longer.

I felt useless, the only thing I had done was to call the bank to alert them to the problem so that they would have a large amount of cash on hand ready for when the ransom was needed.

It hadn't even been my idea; uselessness wasn't the only feeling plaguing me though I was absolutely terrified. I had been escorted home from the 12th by two uniformed police officers, the entire time I had been worried about just what was happening at the Old Haunt. Worried about just what had happened to my Dad.

I knew something was wrong the moment my calls went unanswered.

All I wanted right now was for my Dad to walk through the door, I couldn't imagine anything else. He has always been here for me, no matter what I needed or wanted, he always done his best to make sure I got it. Even if it was something that had to make him grit his teeth such as advice about boys, he would do it for me.

Detectives Ryan and Esposito where here, watching over the proceedings and making sure that everything was running smoothly they had arrived less than half an hour ago. I could tell that they were also worried about Dad.

Turning away from the scene, I made my way to his bedroom. After closing the door behind me, I curled up into a small ball in the middle of the bed. My arms wrapped tightly around myself as sobs burst forth with tears streaming down my face.

I needed my Dad to be okay; he just had to be okay.

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11 hours after being taken

MR POV (Martha Rodgers):

Alexis had rushed off; the girl had been on the verge of tears ever since the police had reported Richard to be missing. I was surprised that she had managed to hold her tears in for so long, she always wore her heart on her sleeve.

I watched as the Detective walked off towards the others in the kitchen, he had had a great number of questions for me. Wanting to know all manner of things, who all had a key for the pub and the loft, did Richard receive any threats, routine questions.

I had answered them as best as I could but I didn't know the answer to everything, I was worried that this didn't have something to do with money. That it wasn't directly about Richard but I couldn't just tell anyone about my suspicions.

And Kate was nowhere in sight, something which I found to be worrying but I didn't have the energy to worry about anyone else other than Richard.

And, of course, Alexis.

Looking over at all the people in the kitchen that seemed to be doing nothing but staring at the phone hoping for it to ring, I decided that maybe it was about time that I done something. So much time has already passed, surely if it was about a ransom they would have already phoned.

But no demands had been made, and if I was wrong and it was about a ransom, Richard would surely understand why I done what I was about to do.

And if not, then it was something that I could live with, but what I couldn't live with was if something was to happen to my son and I had done nothing about it.

I knew exactly who to speak to, Detectives Esposito and Ryan were standing in the kitchen looking like anxious children, it couldn't be them.

"Captain Gates, please." I said into the phone once the front desk had picked it up to redirect the call.

She would know what to do; Richard said she was a strict woman but a good cop. She was just the type of person that I needed to speak to right now, her emotions wouldn't cloud her judgement and maybe she could also tell me just where exactly Kate Beckett was.

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12 hours after being taken

KB POV:

I had been staring at my make shift investigation board, trying to put together the pieces and solve this case. Trying to find Castle and the scum that was responsible for taking him, but the number one priority I had was to find Castle well and alive.

Anything could be happening to him at this exact moment, it was something that I was trying hard not to think about. I didn't want anything to happen to him, he needed to be safe, he just had to be safe.

So many people cared about him, from random fans to the ridiculous large amount of acquaintances that he had, his close and dearest friends, and his family.

He was a part of so many people's lives; he was a part of my life. A large part of my life, starting with the days of when his books were the only thing that kept me going and believing in getting justice for my mother. And now, he was my best friend and partner, as well as something more.

Something that I had been afraid of admitting to not only myself but to him as well.

I cared so very deeply about him; if I was to be honest I would say that I was in love with him. But such thoughts and feelings would have to wait until he was safe again.

Yet I had no leads or answers, I had poured over all the information that there was so far and there was nothing that would help us to find him. The sound of my phone ringing startled me out of my thoughts; glancing over at it where it laid innocently on the coffee table I was surprised to see that it was Gates was calling me.

Maybe they had found something, or maybe she had found out that I wasn't being kept out of the loop on the investigation.

I hoped that it wasn't the latter, that they had found something instead; maybe they had even found Castle. That he was safe and being returned to his family at this very moment.

"Yes?" I answered eagerly, my voice breathless with hope.

"Detective Beckett, I need you to meet me at Mr Castle's loft." Gates replied evenly.

"Have they found him?" I asked impatiently.

"No, I'm afraid not." Her reply was all but emotionless. "There may be a complication to the matter that we didn't foresee, meet me at Mr Castle's loft in fifteen minutes Detective."

And with that the line went dead; I pulled the phone away from my ear, staring at the screen. My mind whirling, what could she possibly mean by "complication" weren't things already complicated enough?

There was only one way to find out, I dashed out of my apartment the door closing behind me with a bang while I stuffed my keys and phone into my jeans pockets. Not wanting to wait for the elevator, I used the stairs. Rushing down them three at a time.

I had to get to Castle's loft, I had to find out what was happening maybe whatever it was could be the break that we need to find him.

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AN: Things are starting to get interesting now, what did you think of the latest chapter if you have a moment be sure to let me know. Feedback is always appreciated.


	5. Chapter 5

Title: Kidnapping Castle

Pairing: R. Castle and K. Beckett

Summary: So Martha has contacted Gates informing her about what Castle has been up to, what will Beckett do when she finds out that Castle has been keeping things from her? And has Castle's chance at being found improved because of it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Castle

Words: 2 212

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Chapter 5:

12 hours after being taken

KB POV:

I had raced as quickly as I could to Castle's loft, tyres screeching to a halt as I pulled up in front of his building. I dashed out of the car, carelessly slamming the door shut as I raced into the lobby. Not even greeting the doorman, there was no time for pleasantries.

I had to get upstairs and find out just what was going on, what this complication was.

I hoped that it was something that could work in our favour, something that would get us a lead, or that it would allow us to get Castle back safely. But I had a sinking feeling in my stomach, complications were rarely good things.

The doors to the elevator were just closing; my hand darted between the two metal doors causing them to stop moving towards each other. A moment later and they were moving further apart, allowing my admittance into the little metal box.

Stepping in, I immediately pushed the small round button for Castle's floor, my finger restlessly tapping it several times in the space of two seconds. I ignored the old woman I was sharing the elevator with, I had seen her before on several occasions, and she wasn't overly fond of Castle from what I can remember.

He never let it get him down though, even when she called his books nothing but smut. I could still recall coming over for dinner the one evening to the loft and having to share the elevator with her, Castle had been polite and greeted her pleasantly with a smile, and she had instead tossed several insults his way in return.

All of which he had managed to shrug off while still being perfectly pleasant towards her, Castle never took offense. He was always so forgiving and understanding, allowing insults to roll of his back as if they meant nothing to him. He would accept them with a smile.

He was such a generous man, forgiving and kind, loyal to a fault. Always friendly even when others didn't deserve it, and the childishness that he displayed, which had driven me to near insanity in the first few months of him shadowing me, now though it was just a part of his charm.

Something that I adored about him but I would never tell him that, he had a big enough ego as it was.

Stepping into his loft and knowing that he wasn't there, that his future was uncertain at this moment, made me want to turn around and run right out. But I couldn't just do that, it would be abandoning him, and he deserved more than that. He deserved everything.

I eyed the kitchen as I entered the loft; they had set up a small work station there. But Gates wasn't among them, maybe she hadn't arrived yet.

"Yo Beckett, Gates is in the study." Esposito called out.

I wondered for a brief moment just what he and Ryan were doing here, but I pushed the thought out of my mind. It wasn't important right now, I would find out later.

Giving Esposito a small nod of acknowledgement, I made my way into the study. I easily recalled the first time I had been in here; Castle and I were working our fifth case together. Back then he had been annoying and pesky easily managing to get on my nerves and make me frustrated with his mere presence, but I had been at a dead end that night and I had needed his insight.

I had needed someone to bounce ideas off of and build a theory with, and it had been him.

I had shown up unannounced that evening, he had been home playing laser tag with Alexis and looking goofy in the high tech gear. He had been taken completely aback at my unannounced arrival to his home. When I had stepped into the study I could easily picture him behind the desk hammering out the latest of his best sellers.

Now, stepping into the study, all I could do was miss him even more.

Gates was standing ramrod straight in one of the corners while Martha was seated in a plush leather armchair. She was always so vibrant and alive, her love of life shining through in everything that she did but now her dramatic flair was missing.

Normally she was always wore such vibrant and bright colours that she personified with her larger than life attitude but now it looked like all the colour had been drained from her, she looked older than I had ever seen her. Weary, beaten, defeated, drained were just some of the words that sprung to mind as I laid eyes on her, Castle would no doubt feel guilty if he could see her in this moment. But he wasn't here to do that, he was gone.

He had been taken from us.

From his family, those he was related to by blood and his working family, who were all worried about him and trying to do everything that they could to get him back to us safely.

And from me, he was taken from me.

"What is going on?" I demanded.

I stood close by to Martha, seeking the comfort that she normally gave off but it wasn't there, all I could draw comfort on was the fact that she was a part of Castle. One thing that he had undoubtedly inherited from her was his flair for being dramatic.

"It would seem that Mr Castle has been investigating independently." Gates answered without preamble.

She wasn't one to beat around the bush, her no nonsense attitude hadn't won her many fans during her time as captain so far, but in this moment I couldn't help but appreciate it for she would tell it exactly as it was. She could be brutally honest.

"What?" I asked, but a part of me already knew the answer. "What has he been investigating?"

"Your shooting Detective as well as your mothers murder." She stated plainly, staring right at me.

As her words crashed over me, it felt like I was being ripped into a black hole. The room was suddenly too small, the air was thick and I couldn't breathe. My legs wanted to buckle but I wouldn't let them. I wanted to scream and shout, berate him for doing this.

For going behind my back.

For keeping secrets from me.

But I couldn't, he was still missing.

Maybe he had been taken by who ever had ordered the murder of my mother, who ever had ordered the hit on me?

The person that seemed wouldn't stop at anything to keep the truth a secret, Castle could have been taken by them. I had feared for his life before, wondering if he was still alive and praying that he wasn't badly injured, now though praying and hoping wouldn't help anything.

These people were ruthless, they didn't care who they killed as long as they accomplished what they needed to.

If these people had taken Castle his odds were even more against him.

I shook my head, my entire body was trembling and I felt light headed. I was furious at him, so very furious.

A daze had descended over me, my thoughts were swirling and blurring into one, image after image rushed through my mind. My mother lying dead in an alley, Roy dying in my arms, everyone who had died because of this rushed through the forefront of my mind.

Until suddenly only one picture remained, conjured up by my imagination. Vivid and more disturbing than the rest, Castle battered and broken, a bullet lodged in his chest as he lay in a pool of his own crimson blood.

It was that image that my imagination had conjured up that gave me the strength and will to not flee from the loft. To not flee from helping him, running wasn't an option. I had to save him, I could be furious later, I could cry later over everything, yell and scream, all of that I could do later.

But now, for now I had to ignore it, push it aside and concentrate on what is important in this moment. And that was finding him which was all that mattered right now, nothing else. Yelling and screaming wouldn't change the fact that he was taken, that so many had died, wasting time would probably mean his death and that was something that I wouldn't allow to happen.

No matter how angry I was, no matter how much it hurt to know that he had been digging into my shooting behind my back, that he had been looking into my mother's case without telling me.

If I wanted to shout and yell at him, he had to be alive for me to do it.

He had to be alive.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

14 hours after being taken

RC POV:

Sitting in the hard metal chair bound by cuffs with nothing but morbid thoughts to occupy myself with I had no idea how much time had passed since being taken. Or since the man had left even.

It was maddening not knowing, I was certain that it had at least been a few hours since I had been taken from the Old Haunt but no longer than a day but I could be wrong.

The grinding of metal on metal greeted my ears, immediately followed by his soft footfalls. They weren't hurried, I felt as if I was prey being stalked by a large predator. I predator against whom I was completely helpless.

Defenceless.

"Are you going to answer my questions now Mr Castle?" The man asked, his voice was even but still held a sinister quality to it.

He was looming over me, a large black bag in hand with a smile on his face. I tried to ignore his presence, tried not to think about what could be in the bag, tried not to think about why he was smiling at me like that, I tried not to think about many things. But it was all that I could think about.

His smile widened when I didn't answer, it wasn't pleasant there was something about him that was unnerving. His smile wasn't natural, it was twisted and cold.

He dropped the bag to the ground with a thud only to bend at the waist to zip it open, even as I tried to stare ahead and to not look at what was inside my natural curiosity took over. I couldn't help but to look but as I did the saying "curiosity killed the cat" came to mind.

He pulled out a gleaming silver knife from the top of the bag. There was nothing remarkable about it, the handle was plain the blade itself was only about five centimetres long and two centimetres wide. Even though there was nothing special about the knife, I knew that I would never forget it if I lived to survive this.

In one smooth motion, he had gotten to his feet and plunged the knife into my thigh the entire blade sinking easily into my flesh.

Blood pooled into my mouth, I had bitten my bottom lip broken in an attempt to muffle the scream of pain. The coppery taste of my own blood made me want to throw up. My body was arched in pain, my back bowed backwards as I stared up at the dark ceiling that was lost in the depths of darkness.

My head snapped back even further when the blade was driven into me again directly above the first wound. My entire body jerked, my leg included but it only increased the pain.

The blood from my broken lip was running down the back of my throat, reflexively I swallowed which only caused me to gag. Bent forward, I spat what blood remained in my mouth on him. Unfortunately for me I didn't manage to get him in the face, only on the chest.

Well, maybe it had been fortunate I mused later on. He had been furious after I had spat on him.

His face had never changed from that impassive mask he wore but I had seen it in his eyes, when he had attacked me at the Old Haunt his eyes had been dead at first but then there had been a sort of restrained determination to them. This time it had been more fury than determination, although he had been determined to make me suffer.

I was barely conscious enough to hear the grinding metal sound of the door as he left. My body hurt worse than anything I had ever experienced before. The patches of wet warmth that I could feel scattered around my hurting body was the places were my blood was running freely out of my body.

In the moment before I passed out, I felt a grim relief that the cops had pulled the file on Beckett's shooting out. The man had let it slipped during our overly long time together, demanding to know how they had linked my abduction and his shooting of Beckett together.

Just maybe there was hope that I would be found after all.

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AN: Desperation for answers has driven Maddox to extreme levels but things can easily get worse or better, hope you enjoyed this chapter. I can't wait for the next episode of Castle, 5x15 looks like it's going to be AMAZING! What is your personal favourite episode?


	6. Chapter 6

Title: Kidnapping Castle

Pairing: R. Castle and K. Beckett

Summary: So Castle has managed to endure some hospitality from Maddox but for how much longer will he be able to hang in there, and has the cops, namely Beckett, gotten any closer to finding him?

Disclaimer: I don't own Castle

Words: 1 938

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Chapter Six:

19 hours after being taken.

KB POV:

Martha had unlocked the safe that Castle had in his office for us; it had been hidden behind a clump of books. The safe had contained a few stacks of hundred dollar notes, some personal documentation and several flash drives, but what held our immediate interest was the pile of police documents.

Montgomery had sent them to Castle right before he had died according to Martha. Gates had been weary of allowing the boys and I to investigate but the amount of people that we could trust with this was severely limited and in the end two stubborn and determined redheads had demanded that I be a part of it.

I had never seen either Martha or Alexis looking quite so fierce.

It didn't take long before we came to the conclusion that we needed to find this mysterious Mr Smith, we could worry about the rest of it later but for now our mission was to save Castle. I was more certain than ever that this was related to my shooting and my mother's murder than before, no ransom call had come in yet and by now if it was about money one should have come in.

We scoured through his phone records only to find out that Mr Smith's number was encrypted. It made my gut churn in unease, hours had passed since he had been taken and we were no closer to finding him.

In desperation I decided to call Evelyn Montgomery to ask her if she knew a Mr Smith, the possibility that it was his real name was very slim but we needed something. We had to get Castle back, there was no other option. And I was more than desperate enough to hope on a long shot.

Michael Smith.

It was a solid lead, now all we had to do was find this Michael Smith and get him to talk.

Ryan ran a search on Smith to see what information we could find, we were hoping for an address but just as we had gotten hopeful our lead was dashed away. Michael Smith was dead.

He had died in a boating accident last week.

I could feel my hopes shattering; he had been the only lead that we had. And now he was dead…

Something didn't feel right, ideas bounced around inside my head trying to come up with theories and ideas. But the only one I could build theories with was Castle, we worked so well together, but Castle wasn't here and I was starting to doubt that we would ever get him back.

Everything was turning into a dead end about this case.

Gates ordered us to pack it up for the night, we could barely keep our eyes open but everyone shared my determination about trying to work through the exhaustion we were feeling. There would be time to sleep once Castle was back safe and sound, it could wait until then. His life was more important than a night's sleep.

But Gates wasn't to be deterred, deciding that it would do no good to argue and that I could carry on once I got back to my apartment I left Castle's loft.

Twenty minutes later I let myself into my apartment, even though I was feeling exhausted there was work to be done still. I had managed to slip one of Castle's flash drives into my pocket when Gates hadn't been looking. With a snap of my wrist I flicked on the light switch, instantly I knew that something wasn't right.

When Gates had called me earlier I had dashed out of the apartment quickly, the place had been untidy, papers strewn about as I investigated. But even then there had been a sort of order to them, to where the piles would go, to the angle of my board.

I had been called a control freak on several occasions and it was true, especially when it came to my surroundings. When it came to my personal environment. All I needed was one glance at the lounge to know that things had been moved.

My gun was out in an instant; my eyes scanned the room trying to pick up on every detail that they could. I couldn't see anyone but that didn't mean that they weren't still here. With cautious steps I made my way further into my apartment, gun raised at shoulder height I started clearing the rooms.

With just my home office to go, a chill went up my spine. Being a cop was dangerous, and after having been one for such a long time I knew immediately when to trust my instincts no matter how strange they might seem.

Ducking down, I felt something swinging through the space my head had just been occupying. I span smoothly on my heel in my crouched position, not bothering to see the face of my assailant I squeezed the trigger without hesitation. But whatever had been swung in the first place made a return trip and this time it was much lower.

The impact to my shoulder immediately saw me dropping my gun, even though the shooting had been months ago I was still healing.

The gun clattered to the floor and I knee was soaring right towards me. I managed to block the blow but the force of the impact was enough to make me stumble, I managed to ignore the impact of my back meeting the desk as a fist came my way.

I knocked his wrist just in time to send the blow glancing off my arm and his fist into the desk instead of me. Instantly I swept out a leg, my foot catching his ankle as my arm shot forward to deliver a blow to his thigh. I had always been fast and agile, my opponent was bigger and stronger than me, but he was slow compare to me.

As I shot up to my full height my elbow connected with his throat, for the first time I could see him properly. I recognised him from one of the photos in the file, he was former military. He had been a sniper.

Chances were he was the sniper that had shot me, rage coursed through my body even stronger than before. Not only had he shot me but he had likely been the one to take Castle.

Blows were quickly exchanged I managed to dodge most of them but he had gotten me a few times with a solid punch, he was far worse off though. My bullet had found a new home in his shoulder and I had used that weakness to my advantage.

The sound of running footfalls reached my ears as I delivered another blow to his jaw, he had also heard them as he froze before running towards the closest window just as two uniforms dashed into the room.

Two uniforms with their guns raised, the one in front took a shot at the man I had been fighting as he jumped through window. But the other was pointing his gun at his partners head, I grabbed a hold of the first uniform easily managing to swing him to the side just as I bullet tore through where he had been moments before.

With my momentum, I automatically raised my leg. The second uniform dropped to the ground with a dull thud, passed out from the hard blow I had delivered to his jaw.

0o0o0o0o0

22 hours after being taken.

RC POV:

I awoke gasping and spluttering for air.

My head was jerking from side to side as I tried to lodge whatever it was that had a hold on my throat and was cutting of my oxygen supply.

It finally stopped; gulping down lungful's of air through watery eyes I stared up into a face I would never forget. The man was back, I felt lightheaded and close to passing out again. I fought the sensations as best as I could though, I had passed out after our last encounter this time I would try to avoid that.

As thoughts started to trickle back into my mind, I realized for the first time that I was cold. Which probably meant it was night time, even though I had started to slowly think again my thoughts seemed to be abstract and random at best.

I noted that he was wearing a thin grey shirt, one without sleeves. It took a few moments before I noticed that he had been patched up recently, it looked to be a hasty job and the wound was still bleeding slightly.

A sort of grim satisfaction over took me as I saw that he had been injured, I hoped it had hurt and that it would continue to do so. If there was such a thing as Karma his arm would rot right off.

I smirked up at him, the bravado that I was feeling was false but I wasn't about to let him think that he was beating me. I was far from defeated even after everything that I had endured at his hands, and I was certain that more was to come; I had no desire to spill my guts.

"Such a pity it wasn't between your eyes." I rasped out, staring him in the eyes with a smirk on my face.

He backhanded me the next moment, my head snapped to the side from the force. Compare to what he had done earlier to me it felt like a love tap. A small chuckle left my mouth as I gazed up at him.

Mocking him was probably not a good idea but it was all that I had left. If he was going to kill me there was nothing that I could do about it in my current situation, I might as well get some sort of entertainment out of it.

My throat was dry and my mouth felt as if though I had liked the entire Sahara desert of its sand, I was thirsty and hungry. But I didn't spare it another thought as his fist collided with my cheek.

"I'll make you talk one way or another." He shouted out before he crouched down to unzip the black bag that held his tools of torture.

He pulled out a metal pipe; it was only 50 centimetres long with a circumference of 6 centimetres. I had a moment to brace myself for the incoming pain, before he swung it like a bat right at my cuffed arm.

I had been stubborn about not crying out loud, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of my voiced pain. But as the metal pipe smashed down on my right forearm with a sickening crack, I could do nothing to stop the sharp cry of pain that escaped my throat.

It was worse than anything I had ever felt and I was certain that the bone was shattered. I rocked back and forth in the chair as a bit down on my lip, my back slamming into the chair again and again. The pain didn't stop; it was the only thing that I could feel.

"I'll kill both you and that Detective if it's the last thing I do!" He raged out, spittle flying from his mouth as a crazed look replaced his usual impassive mask.

Something had happened, something bad for him as he was panicked and desperate to get me to talk. I could only hope that it was something that could get me away from this manic that much sooner.

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AN: Oh Castle maar dinge gaan nie goed vir jou nie. And that's it for this chapter; Maddox is determined to get what he needs from Castle one way or another. Also in the next chapter we will find out if Mr Smith was murdered or not and just what is going on with that second uniform. There is also a little twist to come, happy reading!


	7. Chapter 7

Title: Kidnapping Castle

Pairing: R. Castle and K. Beckett

Summary: The climax is upon us, in the last chapter I promised you a twist well I hope you ready for it. Maddox is starting to get desperate and desperation often leads to mistakes being made.

Disclaimer: I don't own Castle

Words: 2 780

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Chapter Seven:

30 hours after being taken

KB POV:

I watched on as Gates interrogated one Johnson Dorian, he was one of the uniforms that had come rushing into my apartment during my confrontation. The one that had pulled his gun on his partner, since he had been taken into custody a team had been working for hours on end to unravel every single detail of his life.

They had gone through everything that we had about him and had dug up even more. We had to break him; if we did we might just manage to get Castle back alive. I had wanted to do the interrogation myself but Gates had refused.

She had given me that stern glare of hers which normally made me feel like a little child who had just been caught doing something completely unreasonable or particularly silly. It hadn't been enough to get me to agree with her, but then she had gone and asked if I could keep my emotions in check if I was to do the interrogation.

The honest answer was no, for I knew that I wouldn't be able to.

Castle's life was hanging in the balance, there wasn't time for screw ups so I had stepped aside and let Gates do what she had to. Maybe she would be able to break Dorian.

Get us some answers, some sort of lead. We were running out of time.

The boys were watching the interrogation with me, all three of us were anxious. We were functioning on little to no sleep and then add in our frantic emotions, we were all a bit high strung right now. My back was tense as I stared fixedly into the interrogation room, my eyes never leaving Dorian's face for even a moment.

Gates was getting him to open up slowly but I couldn't stand this slow pace, every second that ticked by could be the second in which Castle could die. We didn't have time to waste, Gates was trying to win his trust and get him to confide in her.

Personally I would prefer to put the fear of God into him that which would get us some immediate answers.

A gun pressed to the side of his head with a promise of pulling the trigger on three if he didn't start talking would have been my method.

Maybe Gates was right after all to have kept me away from Dorian. Shooting a cop, even a dirty one, in the middle of the interrogation room wouldn't do us any favours.

"Set up a meeting." Gates ordered sternly staring Dorian down with an icy glare.

The man nodded, eager to do what Gates wanted so that he could cut a deal, get a slap on the wrist for his involvement in all of this. It made me disgusted to my stomach, right now though wasn't the time to voice my opinion on what I thought about that piece of scum getting a deal. As far as I was concerned he should get an execution.

Once Gates stepped out of the interrogation room, the 12th became a blur of activity. Cops were rushing about, this Maddox character was dangerous. He had been identified as the sniper that had shot me; the blood spatter at my apartment had matched DNA found on the rifle he had used to shoot me.

Gates was in charge of everything, directly in charge for a change, she wasn't about to let Maddox slip through her fingers if she could help it. Normally she was that irritating back seat driver, who thought she knew better than everyone else but she was taking lead on Castle's case.

The meeting was set to happen in a rather middleclass hotel in midtown. Gates had the room on either side surrounded by cops with all sort of equipment, and the room where the meeting was to happen had been bugged with audio and video surveillance.

The records we had found on this Cole Maddox person showed that he was ruthless and well trained, with a tendency to do as he pleased. Lanie had also been burning the midnight oil on her side of things and had confirmed my previous suspicions.

Michael Smith had been murdered.

And chances were that it had been Maddox who had done it. For now though Smith could wait for justice a bit longer our immediate concern was Castle.

Gates didn't want the boys or I involved in the operation but I wouldn't be backing down this time and neither would the boys. She would have to fire me and even then I wouldn't just drop the matter, Castle meant more to me than a badge.

In the end she relented and allowed us to be a part of the operation. She probably realised that she didn't have a choice in the matter, finally.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

31 hours after being taken

RC POV:

My resolve was starting to shatter and who could honestly blame me, after the first hit from the pipe it hadn't taken long for me to pass out. Thankfully. I had been determined not to but in the end I hadn't managed to stay conscious for much more.

I had lost track of time completely after my latest bout of unconsciousness. I had awoken before he could start in on me again which meant there would be no strangling wake up call for me this time around, the blinding pain in my arm had been the reason for gaining consciousness.

He had ripped off my shirt, allowing me to have the first view of the injuries he had inflicted on me. My arm was a mess; I doubted that I would ever be able to use it again. It was a mangled version of what it used to be.

It wasn't only my forearm though it was also my hand.

As I was right handed the thought of never being able to use it again was a great impact on my mental state, I done everything with my right hand. But after having my individual fingers crushed with a hammer, I knew that function of it was going to be limited if I lived to survive this.

The blows from the pipe to my chest hurt there was no denying it, my skin was bruised after the first blow. But still I didn't give him the answers that he wanted; he had just taken aim for my right shoulder when a cell phone rang.

I was slumped in the chair, my head lolling to the side uselessly as I stared out of bleary eyes at him with my jaw clenched tightly. He pulled out a cell phone from his pocket, dropping the pipe to the ground with a metallic thud. Stepping closer to me he grabbed a hold of my jaw, squeezing painful to ensure that I kept my mouth shut.

"What?" He asked his voice hoarse from screaming and shouting at me.

All of his demands had gone unanswered; I wouldn't answer a single one of his questions even when they didn't have something to do with Kate.

I tried to pay attention to the phone call, to what he was saying but my mind was fogged over due to the pain I was in. It felt like I was in some sort of haze, like I was having one of those out of body experiences that you sometimes read about.

As his voice hardened his grip on me got tighter, I didn't even consciously think about doing it but my mouth forced itself open and bit down as hard as it could on his hand.

I held on, applying as much pressure as I possibly could while he tried to free his hand. When he finally managed to rip his hand out of my mouth, I spat out a chunk of flesh. The taste of his blood didn't make me nauseous instead it made me feel victorious and gave me some much needed strength back.

I had gotten him back, even if only slightly for what he had been putting me through. Normally I was a good person, I could just shrug off insults and deal with whatever was thrown my way with a smile but him, I wanted to kill him with my bare hands. I wanted to watch him suffer as I tortured him for hours on end while he was helpless to do anything.

I wanted our positions in this situation to be reversed, our roles to be swapped.

He was shouting again, clutching his hand to his chest but I couldn't make out the words. The haze was still firmly in place, I watched blankly as he pulled a gun out from behind his back. He pointed it at me and still I couldn't do anything but stare.

The bullet pierced my right leg easily and all I felt was more pain, more searing mind numbing piercing pain. A dry exclamation of pain left my mouth, I didn't have the ability to vocalise what I was feeling as my throat was raw.

He stowed away the gun again, with one more look at his hand he turned away getting ready to probably leave but just as quickly he turned back towards me. He bent down picking up the pipe that he seemed to favour above all his other toys, the blow this time was worse than any other as it landed on my right shoulder.

Black dots clouded my vision immediately, blotches growing bigger as they met each other before I mercifully passed out again.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

32 hours after being taken

KB POV:

We were already in place; the meeting with Maddox was scheduled to take place in ninety minutes time. He believed he was going to it to collect files that Dorian had found in Castle's loft, he had been eager to get them. He had complained that Castle hadn't given anything up so far.

I had felt my entire body sag in relief in that moment, as it meant Castle was still alive out there somewhere. We hadn't been able to get a location on Maddox's phone, Ryan had been trying but it was proving more than a bit difficult for some reason.

A frantic call was made over the secure line, informing us that Maddox had arrived early. Panic reined for a moment, the meeting wasn't schedule for at least another hour.

Maddox made his way up to the room that we had booked in Dorian's name. He went to stand by the window that offered a view of the parking lot; we were all holding our breath. This had to go successfully and without a single hitch, Castle's very life could depend on it.

The moment a car pulled up into the lot it was reported over the line, this time though it wasn't only a report on the car's presence and a description of its occupants. It was something that threw us for an even larger loop than Maddox arriving earlier than expected.

"It's Senator Bracken."

And his destination, the room that Maddox was in.

All I could do was gaze at the screen showing what was happening in the room right next door, Bracken was a powerful man. A man of note in the political world with great aspirations, what could he possibly be meeting Maddox for?

The idea that he was behind everything entered my mind and wouldn't leave.

"Do you ever regret having that Beckett woman killed, it has caused you nothing but trouble after all?" Maddox asked, turning around slightly to look at Bracken once he entered the room.

Maddox hadn't bothered locking the door behind him, Bracken didn't falter at his words for even a second. All he done was walk further in with a smirk on his face as he took a seat in one of the armchairs, his brow raised slightly as he stared at the sniper.

"Johanna Beckett didn't know when to stop digging and I wasn't about to let her ruin me then and now I'm not about to let the next generation of Beckett ruin me." Bracken stated idly, as if he was talking about the weather.

Maddox said nothing and returned to looking out the window, but I couldn't take my eyes off of the man that was seated comfortably in the next room. I stared down at the screen, his words running through my mind over and over again.

He was responsible.

He was the one that had taken my mother away.

That had placed the hit on her.

I was startled out of my mind as police officers suddenly rushed into the room, looking around me I realized that they had moved in on the two men. A quick look back at the screen showed that Bracken had drawn a gun.

I dashed out of the room, pulling my gun out even though I wouldn't be needed as there were more than enough officers in place already. I had to make sure that he didn't escape. He had to pay for what he did.

And I would be the one to ensure that he paid, with any luck he would pay with his life.

I levelled my gun at him; Maddox was already on the ground with two pairs of cuffs around his wrist knocked out from the force of the Tasers that were used on him. Gates had authorised the use of them for when he was secured in cuffs, we wanted to keep him down till he was behind bars with no chance of escaping.

Bracken though had his back against a corner, gun clasped in his hand as he stared around wildly trying to find a way out. He didn't strike me as the type that would just toss his weapon aside and come peacefully, if anything I was hoping that he didn't.

"Don't come any closer!" He shouted voice full of desperation. "I'll shoot."

And still his eyes darted around.

He was like an animal backed into a corner, literally in his case, and that was when the animal was at its most dangerous.

Gates took a step closer, she was always bold. She was wearing a vest with her gun raised right at the man; in an instant he pulled the trigger.

I did the same.

He crumpled to the ground, gun out of reach as Esposito and two others rushed at him easily forcing him into a pair of cuffs.

I watched on, my gun still raised and aimed right between his eyes. I wanted to pull the trigger; I wanted to end his life. For so long I had dreamt of this moment, hungered after it, the moment when I finally caught up with the person who was responsible for taking my mother away from me.

All it would take was one small squeeze of the trigger.

That was all and the nightmare would be over, the dragon would be slayed and my mother would have justice and I would have my revenge. Just one small squeeze of the trigger and a bullet would be lodged right between his eyes.

Just like how a bullet had been lodged right in the centre of my chest that day on his order.

My finger twitched…

Just a small squeeze was all it would take to release the bullet.

The cold metal of the trigger was against the pad of my finger, slowly sinking inwards.

Another millimetre and it would be done.

It would all be over…

Wouldn't it?

No… Castle still had to be found…

I could see his face; it felt like he was standing right next to me. He would plead with me to not do this, to not kill this man, to not rid the world of this piece of trash that was sprawled out on the floor before me with one of my bullets lodged in him.

To not give in to the temptation that I was feeling, to not kill an unarmed man no matter how vile he was. To remember what it was that I stood for, to be better than to seek nothing but petty revenge.

I blinked several times; the daze that I had been in coming to an end as I slowly lowered my gun and gained control over myself.

He would be disappointed in me if I shot Bracken now.

I let out a sigh; Castle was a part of my life and a part of me it would seem. He had gone from the annoying writer that had followed me around to being the guiding voice inside my mind.

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AN: And that's a wrap for this chapter, we nearing the end. I hoped you enjoyed it!


	8. Chapter 8

Title: Kidnapping Castle

Pairing: R. Castle and K. Beckett

Summary: So the bad guys have been caught but what about Castle?

Disclaimer: I don't own Castle

Words: 1 908

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34 hours after being taken

KB POV:

Bracken had been rushed to the hospital to be treated for the gun shoot injury I had inflicted upon him, Gates had sent several uniforms to keep watch over him with even more right outside the hospital.

He was rich and well connected, which meant that it would be easy for him to slip away if he had the chance, we were determined to not give him even the slightest of chances. And then there was Cole Maddox, Bracken's little lap dog it would seem.

Maddox had been taken down without any severe injuries, getting him to talk wasn't working though. Gates had been at it for an hour; the man didn't even blink or flinch at anything she had to say. We weren't going to break him.

Esposito and Ryan came rushing to me, looking like two overexcited puppies. I hoped that it was good news, something that would lead us to finding Castle.

"Dorian identified the guy who stole the van." Ryan announced.

It would seem that things had turned around for us, this was good news. Something that could maybe even lead to Castle being found, Esposito interrupted Gates in her useless interrogation of Maddox to inform her about the latest development.

"Beckett, I take it you going?" She barked out at me, her eyes never leaving me as Esposito explained the situation to her.

"Yes." I answered back, readying myself for a fight.

"Very well, bring him in." Gates calmly ordered with a short nod of her head.

I was stunned at how easily she had given in, it wasn't like her but I wasn't about to argue now. I returned her nod with one of my own before dashing out of the 12th with the boys right on my heels. They were just as eager as I was to get this whole situation over with.

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40 hours after being taken

KB POV

When we arrived at the residence of one George Ernst it was only to find that he wasn't home, we had set up a surveillance team on the house before going off to his work address. But he wasn't at work, we checked a few of his local hangouts yet we were having no luck in locating him.

The surveillance team though finally caught sight of him when he arrived at the house, the boys and I rushed back. Eager to snap a pair of cuffs on him, I wanted to jump out of my car and run straight at him with my gun drawn and force him to tell me everything that he knew.

But I managed to calm myself enough to put on my issued bullet proof vest and meet up with the boys before we made our way onto the property. Every time that I got into a situation like this my pulse would start to rise and my breathing would get shallow. The adrenalin and anticipation flooded through my body, with a nod at Esposito we moved in.

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42 hours after being taken

RC POV:

I was awake again, distant sounds reached my ears but I couldn't make out what they were. My vision was blurred and I was exhausted, my throat ached from thirst and my entire body hurt some places more than others. I was slumped over in the uncomfortable metal chair, my head lolling uselessly to the side but I couldn't find the strength to move.

I wanted this nightmare to be over, it had to end. I didn't know how much more I could take.

The sound wasn't so distant anymore; the grinding of metal and metal reached my ears. The door was being opened, he was probably back to torture me some more. I didn't know if I would be able to survive another round or if I would give him all the answers that he needed.

I swallowed the lump in my throat, I couldn't endanger Kate's life but I needed the pain to end one way or another. And right now it seemed that the only option available to me was death. A beam of light was moving in the darkness, its brightness barely able to hold back the darkness for long.

I stared at it, not able to move an inch. My body felt like dead weight and my mind was clouded over. I stared into the bright beam as it landed on me, slowly my eyes drifted closed trying to block out the harshness of the light.

The footfalls were fast, pounding on the cold concrete floor. I heard someone calling my name, my last name but I couldn't concentrate on it. My eyes wouldn't open no matter how hard I tried to get them to they just wouldn't cooperate with me.

I felt a set of hands on my face, they were tender nothing like the man's punishing grip from earlier. Whoever this person was they were holding my head up gently. Slowly my eyes fluttered open as I became aware of a soft voice murmuring words of comfort to me.

Kate…

She was still alive.

And she had found me.

That was the last thought to go through my mind before blackness encroached on my vision yet again.

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AC POV:

Detective Ryan had called to tell us that they had found him, that they had found my Dad. But he was being rushed to the hospital, in that instant relief flooded through my body at the knowledge he was safe before terror over took me again.

He was being rushed to the hospital which could only mean that he was hurt, Gran and I raced to the hospital wanting to find out all that we can and to be there for him. Beckett, Esposito and Ryan were in the waiting room, blood soaked through their clothes.

I faltered mid step at the sight of them, at the sight of all the blood that was on them. The thought that it was my Dad's immediately came to mind after all none of them looked to be injured in any way which meant that it wasn't theirs.

We badgered the nurse, demanding and threatening for all the information that we could get on Dad's condition. But the nurse was tight lipped saying that the Doctor would be out to see us after the surgery. The word surgery had me rushing out of the room and to the closest bathroom to throw up.

Surgery…

It meant that whatever was wrong was serious, that it wasn't just a cut or bruise. All the blood that I had seen on the Detectives was probably Dad's and there had been so much of it. The realization that he had lost so much of his blood caused my stomach to lurch again.

When I finally made my way out of the bathroom it was to see Gran standing toe to toe with Captain Gates demanding to be told what had happened to Dad. I looked at the scene for all of a moment before slumping down into one of the uncomfortable chairs; I didn't have the energy to keep standing.

All I wanted was to see my Dad, to see him smiling and laughing.

Tears stung at my eyes, I made no move to wipe them away. All I could do was stare at the floor as memory after memory played through my mind, Dad and I playing laser tag, my first day of school, painting together, him reading a bedtime story to me, pushing me on a swing in the park…

It all raced through my mind, his smiling face and happy eyes staring at me.

He had to be okay, he just had to.

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KB POV:

I watched on as Martha and Alexis went to see him, he had just been moved into a private ICU room. The surgery had gone well according to the Doctor but I couldn't bring myself to concentrate and focus on anything that he said afterwards though.

I wanted to rush to his room, to his bedside and make sure with my own to eyes that he was indeed alive.

We had gotten George Ernst to break in a matter of minutes; he had confessed to stealing the van and had told us where he had been instructed to drop it off. He had confirmed that it was indeed Maddox who had hired him to steal the van.

He had dropped it off near an old building that was shut down for renovations, renovations that they had stopped midway for some reason. Bracken owned the building.

A team of twenty had been dispatched to search it from top to bottom to find Castle, the boys and I had been the first in the building. The place had been a mess, pipes and electrical cables ripped out of floors and walls, broken glass everywhere, rubble scattered about. It had felt like an obstacle course.

In one of the underground floors we had found him, we had almost missed it entirely as a large piece of torn metal sheet had been blocking the entrance into the room. And then there he was, cuffed to a chair in the middle of the dark room.

My heart had been lodged in my throat at the sight of him, he was bruised and battered, blood staining his clothes and on the verge of passing out when we had reached him. He had passed out moments after we had reached, while we had been freeing him of the cuffs that had held him in place.

Once we had gotten him out of the room, out of the building and into the back of an ambulance I had seen his injuries in broad day light for the first time. Maddox had hurt him so badly; the urge to put a bullet through the snipers head had surfaced with a vengeance.

The Doctor and Gates were talking, but none of it made sense to me. All I could see was his broken body and slack face.

"He should be awake tomorrow, no later than the following day." The Doctor said before walking away, down the corridor and out of sight.

I wanted to see him but I knew that I wouldn't be allowed into his room just yet. I wasn't family after all.

"Alright then people go home, get some rest and come back tomorrow." Gates said with a nod at us. "Two uniforms will be posted right outside Mr Castle's room for the time being just in case."

I numbly made my way out of the hospital with the boys, with a muttered goodbye I climbed into a taxi giving the driver my address. All I wanted was to see Castle.

But I would have to wait, for now though I needed to get home and have a shower. A scalding hot shower to scrub off all the blood on me and throw away the clothes that I was wearing, tomorrow I would be at the hospital first thing in the morning.

Hopefully I would be able to see him then.

Now wasn't the time to concern myself with thoughts on either Maddox or Bracken, there was plenty of time for that. Neither one of them was about to go anywhere, my mother had finally gotten justice but the price for it had been very high. Thankfully, it hadn't claimed Castle's life.

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AN: Castle has finally being saved! What did you think about the chapter? I hope you enjoyed it.


	9. Chapter 9

Title: Kidnapping Castle

Pairing: R. Castle and K. Beckett

Summary: So Castle is in the hospital busy recovering from surgery, Maddox and Bracken are in lock up, Smith's death has been ruled a murder. Let's take a look at what is happening between Castle and Beckett in this chapter and call the story a wrap afterwards.

Disclaimer: I don't own Castle

Words: 1 227

AN: Normally I leave this for the end of the chapter but I myself skip AN's when I read, so I thought I'd just grab your attention right here. This is the end of the story folks, I am thinking of doing a short sequel would any of you be interested in something like that? Anyway, thank you for reading my latest story and I hope that you have enjoyed it!

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Chapter Nine:

RC POV:

A faint beeping sound echoed throughout the sterilized white room that I was in, looking around slowly I felt bewildered for all of a few moments before I realized that I was in a hospital.

Memories of what had happened to me started to trickle into the forefront of my mind before they could consume me my eyes landed on the two red heads that were sleeping at my bedside. Mother was fast asleep her hand clasping my left one while Alexis was resting her head on the bed right beside me.

At the sight of them I immediately calmed down, the dark thoughts that had been taking me over were pushed back as I gazed down at my pair of favourite red heads.

I smiled at the sight of them, I wanted nothing more than to scoop them up into a huge hug and never let go. But I was barely able to lift my head. My arm was a mess, pins around and on my fingers, my arm was bandaged thickly. Every part of my body hurt but it felt distant, whatever drugs they had me on were working wonders.

Turning my head to face Alexis fully, I stared at her. Marvelling like I always do over the fact that she was indeed my daughter, this perfect young woman that was so strong and smart, who had a good heart as well. A small smile found its way onto my face as I started to fall asleep, at ease with the knowledge that they were both alright.

I could faintly remember Kate being the one coming to my rescue but she wasn't in the room, I just hoped that she was okay as well. Right now though, I couldn't summon the strength to worry over her.

Mother looked exhausted and Alexis seemed sick, probably from worry. That was enough to worry about in this moment, maybe when I woke up again I would be able to ask someone about Kate. Maybe she would even be around.

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KB POV:

I was sitting in another uncomfortable plastic chair, this time in the ICU waiting area when the boys arrived. They looked worn down; I could hardly fault them for not getting any rest. I hadn't been able to sleep last night either, tossing and turning, my mind filled with memories of what Castle…. No, of what Rick looked like when we had found him.

It was a miracle that he was still alive, that Maddox hadn't just killed him when he left to meet with Bracken. I didn't want to think about either of them, as it made me want to reach for my gun and put a bullet in each of their heads.

They would get what was coming to them of that I was certain, yet no amount of punishment and jail time would undo what was done to Castle or bring my mother back to life. I would just have to accept that justice was delivered and leave it at that.

We sat quietly in the waiting room, not a word being exchanged as we waited to see Castle. I had to see that he was alive for myself, I was certain that the boys felt the same way. A bit after nine in the morning, Martha made her way into the room. She was still wearing the same clothes from yesterday but her expression was no longer that of fear and pain.

She looked worried but relieved at the same time. I scrambled to my feet when I saw her, eager to find out how Castle was doing, to find out if he was awake yet and if I could see him. The boys naturally followed my lead. But before we could say anything Martha had started talking.

I had seen a completely new side to this woman, one that I had never thought existed, and normally she was always so pleasant and light-hearted. But she could be a tough broad when needed.

"Come on dears, Richard is awake and the Doctor has already checked in on him." Martha said warmly with a smile on her face as she beckoned us closer.

"How is he Martha?" I asked immediately, eager for any news about him.

"Why don't you see for yourself dear?" She asked kindly coming to a stop at a private room.

I rushed into the room, not wanting to wait another moment to see him. And there he was…

He was pale and banged up but he was alive and breathing. He was awake, he would be okay now. The boys all but tripped over themselves in their haste to get close to him, Esposito managing to compose himself slightly better than Ryan who looked close to tears. I would tease him later about crying like a girl but for now my eyes were stinging with unshed tears, it was so, so very good to see that he was indeed alive.

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RC POV:

The nurse was shooing everyone away, not listening to their pleas and demands to stay longer. I was glad to see them all but I was struggling to keep my eyes open.

"Kate?" I called softly; my throat was scratchy and raw.

"Yeah?" She asked that tender smile that she had been directing at me since she entered the room still firmly in place.

With a quick glance at the others they seemed to get the message that I wanted some private time alone with Beckett. I watched as they left, the nurse huffing out that we had five more minutes before Kate was to leave. I turned my attention to the beautiful woman leaning over me.

"Thank you for saving me." I said sincerely looking up into her eyes.

"Think nothing of it Castle; you would have done the same for me." She replied bashfully.

"It means a lot that you came to my rescue, I know that you must be mad and hurt at me for going behind your back and we will talk about it, I promise. But thank you." My eyes never left her face one while I spoke, I didn't want to miss anything.

Mother had told me that she had revealed what I had been doing to them, I was hardly mad at her for trying to do what she could to safe me. But I knew that in a few days, once the worry and fear had eased, Kate would be mad at me. It was just a matter of time.

I could only hope that she understood why I had done what I did, why I had kept things from her, she was a reasonable woman but when it came to her mother's case reason and logic were completely lost on her.

"I'm just glad that you okay Castle." She said softly, a tear sliding down her cheek. "You gave us all a bit of a scare there, I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

She leaned down and kissed my cheek softly before stepping out of the room, a small smile tugged at the corner of my mouth. Less than a minute later and I was fighting a losing battle with the Sandman, it was time to get some rest.

Things were going to be okay after all, my relationship with Beckett might just improve.

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AN: Any thoughts on the last chapter? Thank you for reading my story, and as always, happy reading.


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